A report at a meeting discussing
government Decree No 05/2011/ND-CP on ethnic minority work, indicated that all
communes have primary schools and secondary schools and nursery schools have
become more available in remote areas.

By 2013, 80 percent of hamlets
and villages had medical workers and 75 percent of communes had doctors.

Investments have been made in communications
with 98 percent of communes having public phone services.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy
PM Truong Hoa Binh affirmed over the five-year implementation of the decree,
ministries and agencies have advised the government on issuing and revising policies
on ethnic minorities.

The policies have changed many
ethnic minority-inhabited areas and the material and spiritual life of ethnic
groups, especially in remote areas, has improved. The rate of poor households
has plummeted, while defence-security and social order has been ensured.

The Deputy PM, however, pointed
out shortcomings like the low rate of ethnic minority people among civil
servants, a lack of attention to training ethnic minority officials and the
modest number of health centres in communes where ethnic groups live.